Mandroid

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A Mandroid is a fictional suit of power armor which appears in the Marvel Comics universe. It first appeared in Avengers #94 (Dec 1971), created by Roy Thomas and Neal Adams.

[edit] History

Mandroids were originally designed by Tony Stark and built by Stark International for use by S.H.I.E.L.D., with the concept being to provide the wearer with a large number of offensive options in order to provide a variable response to the level of threat, threats which may include those posed by supervillains or rogue superheroes. Since then, Mandroid armor has been utilized by several criminals, such as minions of Moses Magnum.

The Mandroid power armor is constructed of a titanium alloy that provides a fair deal of protection from physical and energy attacks; the suit also offers an internal air supply and life support systems. Sensors include infrared scanners and radar/sonar, and the suits contain a full-range radio and loudspeaker. The suits increase the wearer's strength and stamina, though not to superhuman degrees. The main feature is the wide array of offensive weaponry -- electrostatic beams, lasers, magnetic force "punch-blasters", "neuro-stunners", and tractor/repellor beams have all been exhibited.

On one occasion, the Mandroids were released against the Avengers during the Kree-Skrull War, when a Skrull posing as politician H. Warren Craddock claimed that the Avengers were aiding an alien invasion of Earth. However, although the Mandroids were able to overcome various heroes from Goliath to Captain America, Iron Man was able to defeat them by using his knowledge of their weaknesses to neutralize the suits without injuring the men inside them.

The Mandroid armor appears in the X-Treme X-Men storyline God Loves, Man Kills II. In it, William Stryker and a brainwashed Kitty Pryde wear the armor, with Stryker using Kitty's phasing ability, enhanced tenfold, to disrupt biological beings as well as technology.

During the events of the Armor Wars, S.H.I.E.L.D. was sent to capture Iron Man. After discovering that elements of his technology had been stolen and given to various armored criminals, Iron Man neutralized the S.H.I.E.L.D. Mandroids, unwilling to take the risk that their technology would be acquired by a criminal (Iron Man #227).